Chicago will open its first playoff appearance since 1998 against Washington, which lost any chance for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference by losing at New Jersey.

Kirk Hinrich scored 28 of his 34 points in the second half for Chicago, which plays its playoff opener Sunday afternoon.

With New York ahead 91-90, the Bulls had three chances to take the lead in the closing minute. Gordon missed a 3 and got his own rebound, but stepped out with 35 seconds left. Then with 12 seconds to go, Tyson Chandler was called for an illegal screen by referee Eddie Rush.

Chicago quickly fouled Jamal Crawford, who missed two straight free throws. Gordon then hit a 16-foot jumper over Jermaine Jackson with 5.8 seconds left, and Crawford missed an 18-footer that would have won it for New York.

Gordon was carried off the court in celebration by Chandler.

It was the second time this season that Gordon hit a game winner against the Knicks in the closing seconds. He scored 13 of 17 points in the fourth quarter and hit the game-winning shot with 0.1 seconds to play in Chicago's 88-86 win at New York on Jan. 17.

Crawford scored 24 points for New York and Stephon Marbury added 15 points.

Crawford hit a jumper to cap an 8-0 run, giving the Knicks a 80-76 lead with 7:48 left. Hinrich came back with 10 straight points for the Bulls, including a 3 to tie the score at 83 with 5:24 left.

Chicago started the season 0-9 and was ranked 29th in the NBA in opponents' scoring, allowing an average of 101.6 points per game. Since then, the Bulls are 47-25 and now are ranked first in opponents' field goal percentage at 42 percent.

The Bulls have kept winning despite losing Eddy Curry to an irregular heartbeat and Luol Deng to wrist surgery.

Game Notes
Crawford, a close friend of Curry's who played three seasons with him in Chicago, is not concerned about Curry's condition. "He's had a great year and he's really stepped forth," said Crawford. "I was a little nervous until I talked to him." ... Forward Lawrence Funderburke, who signed with the Bulls on Monday, played one minute. ... The Bulls swept the season series 4-0. ... The Bulls have won 15 of their last 18 games, while New York has lost 12 of its last 15 games.